Billy Bibbit

Although Billy Bibbit longs to be like the heroic McMurphy,
he is not strong enough to stand up to Nurse Ratched on his own.
Billy entwines his arms and legs when Nurse Ratched questions him,
virtually tying himself into knots for her. A shine comes into Nurse Ratched’s
eyes as she makes him suffer by reminding him of his weakness and
his previous suicide attempts. Billy is so timid and fearful that
he stutters his own name when he first meets McMurphy. However,
McMurphy’s confidence and strength immediately charm and fascinate
Billy, who becomes a devoted disciple. McMurphy tries to get Billy
to realize that he should be out in the world, driving a convertible
and having fun with girls. Even though Billy is a voluntary patient
who can leave the misery of the ward at any time, he tells McMurphy
that he is not ready, because he believes he is not strong enough
to face the world. McMurphy encourages Billy’s natural longing for
girls as a healthy appetite for life. By the time of McMurphy’s
farewell party, Billy is sufficiently self-assured to embrace Candy
in a romantic dance. When Billy confesses to McMurphy his attraction
to Candy, he is confessing a desire to be the healthy, normal young
man McMurphy has encouraged him to be.

The next morning, after Nurse Ratched finds him in bed
with Candy, Billy speaks for the first time without stuttering.
The men applaud not only for his confidence and manhood but also
for his effrontery of Nurse Ratched’s control. Using her voice and
the threat of his mother to shame Billy back to subservience, Nurse Ratched
forces him to cower at her feet, begging for mercy. Rather than
continue living under her repressive rule, Billy chooses suicide, relinquishing
life, while simultaneously making an independent decision. Billy
acts as the catalyst for the final battle between McMurphy and Nurse
Ratched, the forces of good and evil in the film.